The Fight
by LoreleiLee500
Summary: Newt and Tina have their first fight as a married couple.


People always said the first year of marriage was difficult. Tina just hadn't fully appreciated what they meant. Shortly after the announcement of her engagement, Tina received a letter from her closest teacher and mentor from her time at Ilvemorny. It congratulated her and said this,

"Tina, I hope this does not seem to forward as I am not a relation, but I would like to give you this piece of advice. Protect your marriage at all costs. It will be incredibly difficult, but also incredibly rewarding. After 34 years of marriage, my husband and I have seen many tests and trials. Our first year of marriage was particularly challenging. Believe me when I saw that the fight is worth it."

Tina remembered being touched by this letter but also slightly confused. She thought the first year of marriage was when everyone was still in honeymoon bliss. She thought the real challenge came later, when you ran out of new things to talk about. Besides, Tina knew that Newt was sweet, kind, and extremely thoughtful. She felt confident that their first year of marriage would be fairly uneventful. She could not have been more wrong.

Obviously, there were wonderful moments. The actual wedding had been small and intimate, perfect for them. A honeymoon for 3 weeks out west, (with a stop to visit Frank), finally getting to be together all the time, Newt bringing her flowers home at random times just because, going on lunch dates during her hour off work. There were also difficult moments. Packing up everything she owned in New York, saying goodbye to Jacob and Queenie, starting a new job in a new country, and trying to learn all of Newt's quirks. Tina knew Newt had some odd habits from being friends and dating for several years, but it went to the next level when they began to live together. He sometimes wandered around the house absent-mindedly touching random objects and muttered to himself. He needed several hours alone each day or her got antsy. He left messes and half-finished projects strewn everywhere.

All of these things were tolerated and occasionally shortly bickered about, but the happy moments outweighed the trying ones. That was until THE fight just a few days short of their 9-month anniversary. It was the first real fight of their marriage and it was like nothing she had ever experienced before. They had had fights before when they were dating and engaged, but all of those had seemed to have a purpose. Like when they fought over where they would live, or the time they fought about how much risk Newt should take while attempting to capture magical beast. This fight was different because it was about things that didn't matter.

It started partly because they had both had difficult weeks. Grindelwald attacks were at an all-time high and the head of the Auror's office was really cracking down Tina and all her coworkers. Similarly, Newt was having difficulty receiving the permits to capture (short term for studying purposes) a new beast that resided in the Scottish Lochs. The ministry deemed it too dangerous and was pushing Newt to help plan ways to use magical creatures in the ever-increasing battles British wizards were being forced into. With tensions high, Newt was particularly distracted and distant and Tina's temper was running very short.

Friday night Tina was excited to relax and just spent time with her husband. She walked into the bathroom to grab floss when she saw it. The tube of toothpaste was without it's cap and there was toothpaste on the sink. Since their first morning of marriage, this had been driving Tina up the wall. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. Letting it go she turned and saw Newt's towel balled up on the ground and it was all over.

"Newt!" She called.

"Yes darling." He replied from the kitchen.

"Would you come here, please." Newt wandered over. He cringed when he saw the toothpaste on the sink and Tina's face.

"I'm so sorry Tina. Really I just keep forgetting. I've never been in the habit of it." He hastened to put the cap back on the tube and place it in the cabinet where it belonged. He gave her a quick smile but she didn't budge.

"Can we just go back into the kitchen and finish making supper?" Newt asked a little annoyed that she was making such a big deal about toothpaste.

"No, we can't. We need to talk about his. I can't always go behind you and do these things, Newt. Why can't you just listen to me? It's not that difficult. Hang the towel up after you use it. Put the toothpaste away. It's simple. I can't be the only one to keep this house running" Tina ranted.

Newt set his jaw and took a deep breath. "I said I was sorry. I forgot. Now let's go back to the kitchen." He replied tightly. After fighting with the ministry all week, the last thing he wanted was to fight with Tina.

"You keep saying that every time but it never changes. It's like you're not even trying. It feels disrespectful because it annoys me when you go expressly go against my wishes."

"Your wishes?" He queried about to snap.

"I didn't quite mean it like that." Tina tried to back track. "It's just that."

"No Tina." Newt was done. "Let me tell you about your wishes. 85% of the things we do in this house are because they are 'your wish.' We painted the kitchen yellow, we go out to your work parties most Saturdays, we eat at exactly 6:30. And you know what? I don't care, but don't say you never get your way!"

"I didn't mean it like that. Stop being so dramatic. I was just saying sometimes you're are a little difficult to live with." Half exasperated half joking trying to relieve the tension.

"It's no tea party to live with you either Tina. You make messes too. They just don't annoy you because they are yours." Newt fired back. "Like how you always leave half empty mugs of coffee laying around and I asked you if you are finished. You always say you'll heat it back up and drink it later, but you never do. You just make a new cup! And when you get out of the shower you leave puddles of water on the floor and then I step on them and my socks get all wet. It only takes one wave of your wand to get rid of them."

Tina was a little worried because Newt rarely lost his temper like this and his fighting style wasn't usually to yell. However, she was also a little hurt by Newts complaints. She wasn't _always_ leaving coffee mugs around. "At least I don't leave half written letters and articles and who knows what else piled all over my desk. How do you even know what you have over there? No wonder you rarely write me when you're out of town. You probably lose the letter before you finish writing it." Low blow she knew but it made her feel better.

"At least I consult you before I go out of town instead of telling me you're on assignment in France for 4 days as you walk out of the door!"

"I'm new in this office and I can't really tell my boss no yet if I want to keep my job! A problem I wouldn't have if we still lived in the States." And it snowballed from there.

They fought about anything and everything. They fought about how much time Newt spent in the case, how long it had taken Newt to propose, Tina constantly comparing herself to Queenie, Newt's jealousy against Theseus he would never admit. The time Tina had introduced her husband to her coworkers as "My sensitive Newt," which wizarding school was the best (Hogwarts or Ilvemorny), Tina waking up at the crack of dawn even on days off, Newt hitting snooze 10 times before he actually got up, the way Tina folded the clothes, the way Newt made the bed. The Scamanders fought about when they were going to have kids, the flower that were planted outside their house, how to properly make a cup of tea, and what time of the year would be best for them to take a vacation. They went around and around for over an hour both crying at times and sometimes screaming, sometimes just glaring before they started again. Finally, Newt, face reddened and tear stained, walked down into his case slamming the lid behind him shouting, "I'm done!"

Tina paced around the living room for a few minutes before going into their room and trying to read a book. Her mind was still racing. She was so mad, upset, hurt, embarrassed, and ashamed. She had never experienced anything that horrible in her life. And Newt had said 'I'm done.' Had he meant with their marriage? Certainly, that couldn't be it. She thought about going down to see him but figured they both needed a little more time and space. She read the same sentence 15 times before setting the book down. This was not how she wanted to spend the weekend. She thought about some of the horrible things she had said to Newt and was so upset, but then she thought about some of the horrible things he had said to her and she was mad again. She finally ended up crying herself to sleep too exhausted to think about it anymore.

The first thing Tina notice when she woke up was her stomach growling; She never gotten around to eating supper. The second thing she noticed was that Newt had never come to bed. Sitting up she put her hands to her throbbing head. How had she let that happen? Had she really started a fight with Newt over toothpaste? Glancing at her clock it was 5am. She had to go find him. Tina got up and washed the dried tears from her face, brushed her hair, and her teeth. Then she went into the kitchen to grab a snack. As she sat eating she realized that she was procrastinating. She never thought the day would come when she was scared to face her sweet and loving husband.

Gathering her courage, she lifted the lid and descended the stairs. In the small office area, she found Newt fast asleep on the couch. His hair was incredibly messy and he was covered from head to toe in dirt. Since meeting Newt, Tina had learned when he was upset he liked to be doing something active. Sometimes he would go for a run, but more often than not he would go into the case and perform manual labor that could have easily been done by magic. It looked as if he had spent the night digging holes for the new trees he wanted to plant for the bowtruckles. He seemed so peaceful Tina couldn't bring herself to wake him. What if he was still mad at her and they started fighting again? Tina didn't think her heart could bare it. She contemplated going back up to bed but she wanted to be near him. She settled into the comfy recliner in the corner trying not to think about the nasty things she had said.

Tina woke several hours later to find someone had placed a blanket over her. The light from inside the case shown through the open door into the workshop. Seeing that Newt was no longer on the couch, Tina slowly go up. She was going to have to face him sooner or later. Walking around the case greeting several of the beasts Tina felt her spirits lift. Finally, she saw him. Digging again and she lost her nerve. He was still upset. She decided to go and play with the niffler where she could still watch Newt out of her periphery. 5 minutes later he stopped for water and their eyes met. Usually Tina could read them, but not today. They were so stormy with emotion she looked away pretending to talk to the niffler again. She heard Newt throw his water bottle on the ground and beginning digging again. Panic filled Tina. Had she said unforgivable things? She couldn't blame him for still being mad. Less than a minute later she realized that he was standing by where she sat on the ground. She hadn't even heard him walk over.

"Tina," Newt began. He couldn't even get his next word out before she launched herself into his arms. They stood there in silence for a while, Tina squeezing her husband so hard he could barely breathe. She tried to convey everything she couldn't say into that hug, as he rubbed her back and ran his hands through her hair. When she loosened her grip slightly, he began to talk.

"Tina I am incredibly sorry and I beg for your forgiveness. The things I said to you were horrible and unforgivable and I regret them more than I can say. You are the best thing in my life, and I can't believe I risked that because I'm angry. I promised at our wedding to love and cherish you every day, and I have failed to do that. I want you to know Porpentina, that I love you more than anything on this earth, and I hope to spend every day for the rest of my life reminding you of that. Just please say you'll forgive me."

All Tina could do was hug him tighter. When she had met Newt she never would have expected him to be so eloquent with words. The longer she knew him the more she realized that he could easily say what he meant when he felt loved and accepted. He could articulate exactly what he wanted to say at moments like this when Tina was at a loss for words. All she could do was continue to bury her face in his chest.

"Tina," He pleaded. "I have to know you forgive me. I said such horrible things and I feel awful. Please say something." He pulled back trying to look her in the eyes.

"Of course, I forgive you, Newt. This whole thing is my fault." Tina was on the verge of crying. "I started a fight about nothing because I had a bad week and I took it out on you. I said horrible things that are not true and things that I knew would hurt you. What kind of wife am I that I would say things like that to the most important person in my world? How could you ever forgive me?" She finally got it out.

"It looks like we are both at fault, darling." Newt said pushing back a lock of her hair.

"But how can you just be over this. I am so very sorry. I can't believe I brought up Leta or your brother or any of the other things we said we'd never talk about again. And when you said you were done last night for a brief moment I thought you meant with our marriage. I couldn't handle it if I drove you away like that. I'm so sorry." Tears started to fill Tina's eyes again.

Newt cupped her face in his hands, "Tina, you are my wife. For better or for worse. In good days and bad. When we fight and when we get along. I am here for you, and nothing besides death is going to separate us. I'm counting on that not happening for an extremely long time. 50 years at least." He said smiling. "Now can we put this whole horrible mess behind us?" Tina nodded turning her head to kiss the inside of his palm. When her husband reached forward to give her a real kiss, she could feel the smile on his mouth. After a few minutes of kissing, Tina pulled away to look at her husband.

"I love you." She breathed.

"I love you too." He replied smiling before taking his wife by the hand leading her back upstairs to their room.

 _Author's note: In over 80 years of marriage Tina could count on one hand the number of times Newt forgot to cap the toothpaste after this day. (Although he did countless other things to drive her crazy)_


End file.
